


Bacon Cheeseburgers and Baseball

by sweetasscas



Series: TFW Bingo [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2015-06-04
Packaged: 2018-04-02 21:35:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4074667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetasscas/pseuds/sweetasscas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Cas go on a first date; Cas meets the family</p>
<p>Continuation of <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/4074478">What's Going On With The Ducks</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Bacon Cheeseburgers and Baseball

**Author's Note:**

> [TFW Bingo Prompt](http://teamfreewillbingo.tumblr.com/): [Sam 8](http://teamfreewillimagines.tumblr.com/post/99091003207/can-you-pretty-please-do-an-imagine-where-sam-and)

_**etymology** : the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history._

“Sammy?” Dean called as he shut the front door.

“You are the one I want! Oo-oo-oo, honey! The one that I want!” Sam slid around the corner and hid the hairbrush behind his back. “Oh. Hi Dean.”

“ _Grease_? Again?” Dean huffed a laugh and set his bag down.

“Jess likes it,” Sam answered sheepishly. “How was your day?”

“Peachy. My students ignored me. I contemplated ritualistically burning my degree. But I did meet a fellow professor, so there’s that.”

“‘Bout time you made friends. Who is it?”

“I have friends.” Dean shoved his younger brother out of the way as he moved toward the kitchen. Hadn’t been able to call him the “little” brother for several years.

Sam snorted a laugh and leaned a shoulder against the door frame. “Bobby and Ellen don’t count.”

“Fine. Benny. Charlie and Kevin.”

“Your students don’t count either. And you haven’t talked to Benny in two years.”

“You want me to call him right now? ‘Cause I will.” Dean pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

Sam threw up his hands in surrender. “Fine. You have friends. Tell me about the new professor. What do they teach?”

“He. Cas Novak. History.” Dean busied himself with pulling leftovers out of the fridge.

“You mean Dr. Novak.”

“He mentioned a PhD, yeah. Why?” He looked up in time to see the expression on his brother’s face.

“Because everyone I’ve talked to said to avoid him like the plague. That I should beg to get someone else, anyone else for History 101.”

“Why? I mean, why do they say to avoid him?

“Because he’s tough. Almost a perfectionist. Gave Jess a B on her midterm.”

“So? You’re smart. Jess is smart. You can handle tough, as long as he’s fair.”

“Why are you defending the guy if you just met?”

Dean started digging in the cabinets, ignoring Sam’s question.

“He asked you out.”

“I asked him out, thank you very much.” Dean set the pan on the stove with more force than was strictly necessary.

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“I mean, you haven’t been on a date since–”

“I know how long, thanks. Don’t need you to remind me how pathetic my personal life is.”

“When are you going out?”

“Tomorrow night.” He dumped leftover chili into the pan.

“Where?”

“Harvelle’s. His idea, not mine.”

“Does he know…”

“That we practically grew up in that place? No.” He put a piece of bread butter side down in a skillet and carefully layered a slice of cheese on top.

“So he’s getting the first date slash meet the family package deal.”

“Just the discount deal, unless you’re going to be there, too?”

“Wasn’t planning on it. I’m taking Jess to the city to see _Wicked_. We could stop by after…”

Dean shrugged. “Up to you.” He handed Sam a plate of grilled cheese and a bowl of chili, and followed him to the table with a plate of his own.

“You don’t care if I crash your date?”

Dean shrugged again as he shoveled chili into his mouth.

“You nervous?” Sam carefully pulled the crust off his sandwich.

“I wasn’t until you started asking all these questions.”

“All right, all right. I’ll shut up about it.”

~*~

“Nothing to be nervous about. It’s just dinner. You can do this.” Dean repeated the mantra to himself as he parked Baby in his ‘not officially reserved but nobody dared park there’ spot. He was early, and he was still trying to decide if he should warn his family or Cas or both when someone rapped on his window.

“Hey Cas,” he said as he climbed out of the car. “You’re early.”

“As are you. Shall we?”

“Um.” Cas looked up at his expectantly. “Something you should know before we go in there.”

Cas took a step back and put his hands in his pockets, pulling his coat tighter around himself.

“It’s nothing bad. It’s just, there’s no way you coulda known when you suggested it, but… This is my family’s place. Bobby and Ellen, the people who own it, they helped raise me and my brother. I grew up here.”

“Oh.”

“I should have told you yesterday. I’m sorry. If you want to go someplace else, I totally understand.”

Cas was quiet for a moment, staring down at the space between their feet. “I appreciate you telling me and saving me that embarrassment. If you’re not okay with your family seeing you on a date with me…”

“What? No, man, it’s not about that. They know. I mean, I’m out. It has nothing to do with that. I just… Might be a little awkward for you, meeting my entire family on a first date.”

Cas looked up at him and gave him a soft smile. “Thank you, but I think I’ll be okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Besides, I’ve been thinking about the bacon cheeseburgers all day. They’re amazing.”

Dean laughed and put his hand on Cas’s shoulder. “Fair enough. After you.”

He didn’t remove his hand until he pulled open the front door, and then he shifted it to the small of Cas’s back. Cas couldn’t help but lean into the touch.

“Booth or–” Dean was cut off by a tiny blonde who squealed and launched herself into his arms. He caught her and spun her around.

“How the hell are you, Jo? When’d you get back?” he asked when he released her.

“Last night. Drove straight through after my last class.” She glanced at Cas, and Dean beamed as he returned a hand to Cas’s back.

“Jo, Cas Novak. Cas, this is Jo Harvelle, the little sister I never wanted.”

“Thanks asshole. Nice to meet you, Cas. Take a seat anywhere. I’ll bring you some menus.”

Dean turned to Cas as Jo walked away. “As I was saying, booth or–”

“You two gonna sit down or were you just plannin’ on blocking the door all night?” A gruff voice came from behind them.

“Hey Bobby.” Dean turned and took the boxes of produce from him. “Bobby, Cas Novak. Cas, Bobby Singer. You want to grab us a table while I take this to the kitchen?”

“Sure,” Cas nodded, and he moved toward the row of booths that lined the wall.

“He seems fun.” Bobby held open the kitchen door.

“Not everyone is a charmer like you.”

“First date?”

Dean nodded and set the boxes in the walk-in. “His idea, before you ask. Said your bacon cheeseburgers were amazing.”

“At least he’s got taste.”

He skirted around the bar on his way out and kissed Ellen’s cheek while she poured a beer. “You’re letting your date sit alone at the table. Thought I taught you better than that.”

“Yes ma’am.” He winked and pulled two imports from the cooler. He passed one to Cas as he settled into the booth. “Hi.”

“Hello.” Cas smiled and took a long pull of his beer.

Dean pushed his menu out of the way and studied Cas instead. He was trying to decide if his eyes really were that blue or if it was just the lighting when Cas caught him staring.

“Ready to order, or do you need a few minutes, Cas?” Jo’s timing was perfect.

“I’ll have the bacon cheeseburger. No onions, please.”

“I’ll have the same,” Dean said as he passed over the menus.

“Got it. Back in a few minutes, boys. Need another beer?”

“Sure,” Dean said and Cas nodded.

“So, now you’ve met most of my family, except my brother Sam. What about you? Any brothers or sisters?”

“Yes.” He took a sip of his beer and a deep breath. “Three older brothers, an older sister, a younger brother, and a younger sister. Along with a large extended family of cousins and second cousins and so-many-times removed cousins.”

Dean blinked at him. “Wow. How do you keep up with all of that?”

“Nametags,” Cas deadpanned, and it took Dean a moment to realize he was joking.

“On a string around your neck, or more the “Hello My Name Is” variety?”

Cas chuckled. “To be fair, I’ve never met most of my cousins. My mother knew all of them, of course, and could tell you who was married to whom and what their third child’s name and birthdate was. Since she passed, we’ve become a bit more disconnected.”

“I’m sorry,” Dean said automatically..

“Thank you,” Cas said and took a long drink.

“Here you go, guys.” Jo set their food in front of them, along with two cold beers. “Need anything else?”

“I think we’re good, Jo. Thanks,” Dean said and Cas nodded his agreement.

“Sure. Shout if you need me.” She smiled before sauntering off toward the bar.

“Change of subject?” Dean asked after she was out of earshot.

“Please.” Cas took a large bite of his burger and didn’t bother stifling the sinful moan that escaped.

Dean shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. “Yeah. Um. Etymology?”

“My minor, and an important part of my doctoral thesis,” Cas said around a mouthful of food.

“How’d you get interested in it?”

“Well, my family is very religious. I grew up hearing Latin and Hebrew and it always fascinated me how similar certain things sounded, and yet how very different they were. I studied languages extensively in high school, and was well into my second year of college before a professor introduced me to the subject. I took to it immediately.” Cas paused to take a sip of his beer. “What about you? How did you become interested in literature?”

“My high school baseball coach, surprisingly enough. We always had books around the house. Bobby and Ellen’s, I mean. But I had a rough time my junior year, and I wasn’t doing too great in Mrs. Garner’s English class. If I failed, I couldn’t play ball. My coach convinced her to let me do two book reports on top of all my other assignments to bring up my grade. She didn’t like me, thought I was just another jock or something, and assigned me _Cat’s Cradle_ and _Anna Karenina_. It took me six solid weeks just to read _Anna Karenina_ , and another two weeks to make a decent report. _Cat’s Cradle_ didn’t take half as long. I don’t think she expected me to attempt to read them, let alone finish the reports, but she passed me anyway. The next year I threw out my shoulder in the pre-season. Didn’t even get a chance to step onto the field. But my coach knew all the work I had put in to just being allowed to play, and kept me on the team. Wasn’t much to do at practice when I couldn’t play, so I read.” He popped a fry in his mouth.

“What would you have done if Mrs. Garner hadn’t agreed? What were your plans?”

“You mean what did I want to be when I grew up?”

Cas chuckled. “Sure.”

“Ball player. Never thought of doing anything else. I was gonna play college ball, then get recruited to the minors, then get bumped to the majors. Looking back, I never had the stats for it. I would have had to improve a lot just to get the recruiter’s attention. But that’s why they call it dreaming, I guess. What about you?”

“Believe it or not, I went to seminary. I was going to be a priest.”

“What changed your mind?”

“Never got the hang of chastity.”

Dean tried not to choke on his burger. Cas blushed, but his smile was one of pride, not embarrassment.

“That’s definitely a reason to quit,” Dean said when he recovered.

“I thought so. My parents were less than pleased, but they got over it as soon as I added ‘Doctor’ to the front of my name.”

“I bet.”

Jo slipped in and took their empty plates and replaced their empty beer bottles.

“My brother said he might stop by with his girlfriend, if that’s okay,” Dean continued.

“Of course. If I may ask, you said Bobby and Ellen helped raise you, but you didn’t mention your parents.”

“Mom died in a house fire when I was four. Dad didn’t do too well after that, kinda went off the deep end. Bobby and Ellen took us in.”

“I am so sorry, Dean.”

“Thanks, Cas.”

They were interrupted by a pretty blonde who plopped into the seat next to Dean. “Hey!”

Dean gave her a sidearm hug. “Hey Jess! Sammy. Cas, this is my brother Sam and his amazing girlfriend Jess. Guys, this is–”

“Dr. Novak.” Jess held out her hand.

“Ms. Moore.” Cas smiled and shook it.

“You gonna sit down?” he asked his brother, who was hovering at the edge of the table.

“We can only stay a minute. We just stopped to get dessert to go. Ellen made pie.”

“What? And no one told me?” Dean asked.

“Relax. She was getting your plate ready when we came in. Dean always gets the first slice of pie, regardless if he’s here when it’s first cut or not.” Jess nudged him with her elbow.

“Here you go, guys.” Ellen appeared behind them, paper bag in hand.

Jess kissed Dean’s cheek and waved to Cas as she stood. “See you later, Dean. Nice to see you again, Dr. Novak.”

“Nice to meet you, Dr. Novak.” Sam reached out a hand and Cas smiled when he took it.

“Nice to meet you, Sam. Have a good evening.”

Ellen waited for them to leave before setting two plates on the table: apple pie a la mode for Dean and peach cobbler a la mode for Cas.

“Thank you Ellen. Ellen, Cas Novak. Cas, Ellen Harvelle.”

“Nice to meet you.” Cas offered his hand.

“Same to you. You been with Dean long?”

“Ellen…” Dean sighed.

“We just met. Yesterday, as a matter of fact,” Cas answered.

“You teach at the university, too?”

“Yes, ma’am. History.”

“Huh. Well, hope to see you around more often. Y’all need anything, just let me know.”

“Does that mean I pass?” Cas asked, amusement dripping from his voice.

“She gave you cobbler, man. You’re in.”

“Your family cares about you a great deal.”

“Yeah, they’re all right.” Dean stabbed his pie and brought a bite to his mouth. It was his turn to not stifle his moan.

“I’m guessing it’s good, then?” Cas asked with a laugh.

“Oh man you have no idea. Here, try it.” He held out his fork, a bite dripping off tines, the perfect combination of fruit and crust and ice cream. He didn’t think about his actions until Cas was wrapping his lips around the fork and humming his approval.

“That’s amazing.”

Dean shifted in his seat and tried to concentrate on his pie.

“You have to try this.” Cas held out his fork to Dean, returning the favor. Dean took the bite and didn’t miss the look on Cas’s face as he did.

Dean cleared his throat and dug into his pie.

When they had scraped the last crumbs of crust from their plates, Jo came to clear the table. “Need anything else?”

“Nah, we’re good, Jo. Have a good night.”

“You, too. Nice to meet you, Cas. See you later, Dean.”

“What about the bill?” Cas asked as she walked away.

“Ellen will take it out of my pay. I still work here every once in a while.”

“But Jo’s tip?”

“Oh.”

Cas gave him a look while he pulled out his wallet.

“Cas, you don’t have to…”

Cas laid a bill on the table and scooted out of the booth. “Coming?”

They waved goodbye to everyone as they made their way out, and Dean didn’t hide his smile when Cas laced their fingers together as soon as they stepped outside.

“I had a nice time,” Dean said when they stopped at his car. He leaned up against the door and Cas leaned a hip against the side.

“So did I. I would like to see you again. Somewhere not run by your family. No offense.”

“Okay,” Dean laughed and Cas squeezed his hand. “How about lunch Tuesday? I have a two hour gap between classes.”

“What time?”

“One? We could go to that little sandwich shop down the block, be back in time for office hours.”

“I have a class that doesn’t end until 1:15. Would you like to meet me in the lecture hall? We could walk over from there?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Dean smiled and rubbed his thumb across Cas’s knuckles.

“I would really like to kiss you now, if that’s okay,” Cas said softly.

Dean stood straighter and nodded. Cas curled his free hand around the back of Dean’s neck and pressed his lips to Dean’s. The kiss was soft and short, but Dean thought it was perfect.

“WHOO! Hell yeah!” Dean froze. A smattering of applause echoed across the parking lot. He braved a look toward the back of the building. Standing just outside the kitchen doors was the entire staff of Harvelle’s, clapping and whooping and laughing.

“Guess they approve,” Cas said, removing his hand from Dean’s neck but keeping their fingers curled together.

“All right, assholes. Show’s over,” Dean called to the group. They laughed but started filtering back inside.

“See you Tuesday?” Cas asked, and Dean couldn’t help pressing their lips together a second time.

“See you Tuesday. G’night, Cas.”

“Goodbye, Dean.”


End file.
